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The Penguin's Underground Lair: Plot Hole or Genius Strategy?

The Penguin's New Lair: Is It a plot hole in The Batman Universe? A Simple Solution Emerges!

Gotham's Underground Gets Crowded: A Seemingly Massive Plot Hole in The Penguin!

Some DC fans are freaking out! They think The Penguin just created a huge plot hole in the Batman universe. The reason? Oz Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) found this awesome new base in The Penguin episode 5, and it's a totally secret, abandoned trolley hub and tunnel system.  It's perfect for running his drug operation–an impressive power grab that creates additional excitement! The problem? This awesome secret tunnel system has some questionable implications and possible contradictions which lead fans to seriously doubt that this whole new tunnel system makes any sense whatsoever! What are we missing here? Many people already noticed that the Batcave also happens to be a very cool secret hideout beneath Gotham.

Those fans online pointed out a potentially very serious issue: Shouldn’t Batman and Penguin bump into each other while in those tunnels?  This is what spurred several very funny posts online. It made people laugh thinking of Batman being randomly ambushed in the Batcave. Or a confrontation that simply never could exist; creating funny reactions, jokes, and plenty of hilarious comments which were generated by these observations alone. Let’s tackle that “plot hole”! And it isn't actually a plot hole; a surprisingly simple solution exists. This article is chock full of spoilers for those who haven't seen The Penguin episode 5 and those wanting to learn the answer might just want to pause here and read it after watching this.

Also Read: The Penguin HBO Max: Gotham's Darkest Chapter Begins

Untangling the Tunnels: Why Batman and Penguin Likely Won't Meet!

Penguin Episode 5 Sofia, Oz, Batman Returns Easter Eggs Custom DC Image Image

While a vast underground tunnel system sounds epic for Penguin; fans online were quite concerned, even freaking out and highlighting that Robert Pattinson's Batman was also underground – specifically in his secret base known only as the Batcave, making it quite plausible for an accidental run-in to occur at some point and seriously jeopardizing Penguin’s entire plotline!

The memes however are pretty amusing, those comments alone highlight the incredibly amusing situation:   Suddenly, Gotham's underworld appears far more cramped. But there’s an easily explained reason behind it all – directly explained through elements found in 2022’s The Batman itself.  That whole trolley system was actually intended for public transport and it closed when greedy politicians stole its funds – This wasn't the private space built beneath Wayne Tower in the middle of Gotham! That means it’s quite a bit of distance from that trolley network.

Another point involves that Penguin's tunnel network near the poorer district of Crown Point ; that’s far away from Wayne Tower, and thus its incredibly secret and entirely safe secret tunnels are going to be likely far away from any likely pathways frequently travelled by Batman and would probably also avoid all traffic entirely; emphasizing a crucial fact often missed out when making these analyses. That entire accidental encounter seems utterly unlikely because it only involves several easily overlooked elements which the series largely overlooked or failed to fully highlight!

Also Read: The Penguin: Where's Batman? Exploring the Gotham Spin-Off

Batman's Absence: A Bigger Mystery Than Penguin's Tunnels

The Batman and Penguin Custom DC Image Image

While it’s highly unlikely for Penguin and Batman to have an accidental run-in; another problem persists. Batman’s remarkable lack of response toward everything happening, specifically regarding Gotham’s major criminal activity.   The Falcone and Maroni families were largely neutralized; Penguin's completely established an extremely effective base of power within those tunnels. It’s all a bit unusual. Doesn't Batman pay attention? What is happening behind the scenes, given just how likely it is that he probably already would've noticed? This begs that very question!

There are ideas however about Batman’s potential absence – a disappearance; maybe he’s going up against a much greater enemy – such as the mysterious Court of Owls! This lack of action actually raises even more interesting implications about a larger plot than just this easily resolved plotline from the new Penguin series, hinting toward a much, much larger issue impacting Gotham’s entire future. It changes things.

Also Read: The Penguin: A New Look at Gotham's Criminal Underworld

Conclusion: A False Plot Hole Shows Penguin's Impressive Rise

The Penguin Image

The assumption that The Penguin’s new base is a massive plot hole really missed out some of the more basic narrative elements! It just shows that Oz Cobblepot’s criminal empire expands brilliantly!

Even though those accidental encounters appear unlikely based upon the actual narrative's premises –  Batman’s absence creates another very intense aspect within the ongoing plot!  Fans really do need to remember those other larger, hidden elements for further creative expansion. This makes everything about Gotham interesting.   It might make future events regarding those confrontations inevitable – something viewers need to look into!

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